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We're not young.  It's true, time has kept on ticking.  The songs we love are now relegated to iTunes and karaoke, while the younger generation is listening to stuff that sounds like Disney radio.  We pass the spare moments "connecting" with other people by playing Words With Friends and other games on our cell phones, devices we barely even use as actual phones anymore.  We're getting old, we're getting fat and we're getting lazy.  What can we do?

We can take back our youth, reverse the clock…at least to an extent.  When I returned from New York City last year after having lost 36 pounds and 49% body fat, I had people telling me how much younger I looked (including one person who told me I used to look like I was in my 40's and now I look like I'm in my 20's, not sure how to take that haha).  I now regularly get 28 as a guessed age, which makes me happy as a clam, since that is exactly how I feel.  When I think about my parents when they were my age, they just seemed so much older.

Fitness and good nutrition play such a huge role in every part of our lives.  They are things you have TOTAL control over, and when you get them in check, all the things you have less control over start to fall into place.  You enter a different bracket of society.  You remember, the one you USED to be in?  It's right there waiting for you.  Oh, and cheaper health insurance, fewer doctor visits, better tasting food, the ability to jump into any casual sporting game, and many other things all become so easy.  It's all right there waiting for you.  You just have to get off your butt and put some work in.

So, if you would like to reclaim your youth, reclaim all the best parts of it while still having the knowledge and experience that comes with age, then leave a comment below and I'll be in touch.

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What is a foam roller?  Why should I use a foam roller?  How will it help me with my workouts, soreness, knees, joints?

I constantly encounter people who want to get healthy and fit, but they have soreness, knee soreness, joint issues, hip issues, basically any and all body parts that are chronically sore.  It stops them from not only achieving the results they want, but often from even getting started.  However, there's a simple basic solution.

What is a foam roller?  A foam roller is a long tube of styrofoam that you use to roll the muscles in your upper and lower body in order to release the fascia that causes tension and muscle soreness.  When this happens, your muscles relax, allowing your joints to heal faster and allow you to get stronger, stretch better, the list goes on.  It's simply an essential part of living, whether you're focusing on fitness or simply trying to make it through the day.

To learn more about the inner workings of what's going on when you foam roll, head over to my NYC trainer Jessica Marie Rose Leggio's website by clicking here.

To purchase a foam roller using Jessica's link, click here.

My Dallas trainer Tracy Nelson has put together some great video tutorials on proper use of a foam roller:

• Upper Body
  
• Lower Body
  

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When do I eat?  For most people, WHAT you eat is the most important thing, and make no mistake, it IS vitally important.  However, as they say with life…timing is everything.

Think of your metabolism like a wood burning fire.  When you wake in the morning, it's been out all night, cold.  To get it started, you've got to put a LOT of rich, healthy wood on it…a hearty balanced breakfast with protein, healthy carbs and healthy fats.  Then, every 3 hours, you MUST put new wood on that fire, new food in your system.  If you wait until you feel the cold, until you're hungry, it's too late, the fire's out.  Your body's gone into starvation mode and is actually STORING fat!

This is what the majority of people do, unfortunately.  Our society was raised on 3 squares a day, and it's slowly been causing the obesity epidemic.  Our bodies simply aren't designed that way.  They MUST get fuel every 3 hours in order for that metabolism to burn and pick up speed over time.  

If you get this system down and are faithful to it, you will see your metabolism speed up and your results go through the roof!  Simple as that.  I eat first thing in the morning, then 10:30 am, 1pm, 4pm, and 7pm.  Every.  Single.  Day.  My body knows.  If I am even 5-10 minutes off, it lets me know.  It's like a fine tuned car.  Try it, you'll see a difference.

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What do you eat?  Lately I've been getting asked this quite a bit.  People see me with my cooler and little bags of food containing meals that look pretty tasty and they wonder what my nutrition plan is and how I prep it so that I'm always ready for any situation.  Would you like to know my secrets?  It's really pretty straightforward, it just requires a little discipline.

On Saturdays I go to the grocery store.  I get the following items, which I will breakdown by meal, and will even list the times I eat each day:

• Meal 1 (7am) :  1 cup of oats, 1 and 1/2 cups egg whites, 1 tablespoon almond butter, 1 scoop Shakeology
• Meal 2 (10:30am) : 1 handful (25) almonds, 1 apple (the sugar will be burned with a morning workout within the same hour)
• Meal 3 (1pm) : 2 cups spinach, 1/4 cup canned salmon (moister than tuna), 6oz sweet potato
• Meal 4 (4pm) : 8oz chicken breast – baked, 10 asparagus spears
• Meal 5 (7pm) : 8oz chicken breast – baked, 6oz broccoli or brussels sprouts, 2 cups spinach, 1/2 avocado

On Sunday (or later Saturday if I have time) I cook it ALL for the week.  I then split it up by meals for the week, putting each meal in a small plastic bag.  Meals for the next 3 days go into the fridge, while meals for the rest of the week go into the freezer.

That's about it.  As the week goes along, I can simply take each meal from the fridge and eat it, or take it with me if I need to go somewhere.  I have a small cooler for day trips with an ice pack and a larger cooler for weekend trips with 2 ice packs.  This creates a 2400 calorie day, so simply vary the amounts according to what your caloric requirements might be for what you're trying to accomplish!

I make sure all of the people in my fitness challenges use this as a guide for their nutrition.  If you're interested in finding out more about my fitness challenges, click the Beachbody Challenge banner on the left!

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Paula Deen is an American cooking icon.  She was one of my mom's favorite resources for tasty meals as she was augmenting her cooking skills with the Food Network.  In fact, my dad had me write Paula when my mom passed thanking her for being an inspiration.

Yet, as I learned more about eating healthy and what truly good nutrition is, I saw how unhealthy these rich tasty dishes were.  Now, I'm totally aware that it's up to each individual to watch their own nutrition and indulge in moderation, but recipes like these clearly helped contribute to the heart conditions that took my father at the age of 55 in 2008 from sudden heart failure.

Paula Deen recently admitted that she has known for the past three years that she has type 2 diabetes.  She stated that she kept the information private because she wanted to "figure things out in my own head".  Meanwhile she continued making a living off her super rich high fat high sugar recipes on her show, in cookbooks, website, etc…all the while happily uttering the phrase "add another stick of butter, y'all!".

She sells a butter warmer pan.  A pan whose sole purpose is warming butter.  She sells butter flavored lip balm.  No, seriously.  All the while she talks about doing everything in moderation, that she doesn't live like she cooks, that everyone should moderate their diets and they'll be fine.  Meanwhile, she admits that was staggered when she finally calculated how much sugar she drank from lunchtime to dinner via sweet tea.  How's that for moderation?

To be fair, at the end of the day Paula says "I'm your cook, not your doctor."  The problem with that, however, is that nutrition is as vital a part of health as anything out there.  In fact, it's the MOST important aspect of health.  So essentially, your cook IS your doctor, for better or worse.  Paula Deen talks about how she cooks for the families who worry about paying their bills and feeing their families, yet I have written about how healthy eating can be just as affordable as unhealthy eating, especially when you look at all the ingredients needed for many of Paula's recipes.

Paula is beloved by tons of people because she exudes Americana and homestyle memories.  People love her, trust her, enjoy everything she does.  However, her own son has created a show specifically themed around the fact that her recipes aren't healthy.  His show is called Not My Mama's Meals and is centered around healthier versions of her recipes.  In other words, her family is purposely providing unhealthy AND healthy versions of their recipes in order to double their money.

It's unfortunate.  I like Paula when I see her on TV.  She seems like the nicest person in the world.  I just hope that the media that will come from her admitting this publicly will one day cause HER show to be more like her son's.  I'd also love to give her some Shakeology to help control that Type 2 Diabetes, since it's designed to be low glycemic.  Here's to a healthier future for Paula Deen and America!

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Merry Christmas to you all!  Today is the perfect day for me to share my absolute favorite memory with you, and let you know what TRULY motivates me to do what I do everyday!

I can't remember when it started, but one year when I was very young my parents started the tradition of planning a weekend, no matter where we lived, to drive to Dallas, Texas for a fun weekend of Christmas shopping for the family.  Now on the surface, this sounds rather commercial, but it was truly a magical weekend.

We would start by packing the car with our luggage and our two Christmas cassettes – The Christmas Album and The Mormon Tabernacle Choir It's Christmas.  I have great memories of falling asleep in the back of the car while listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing Joy to the World.

When we arrived in Dallas, we would head straight for Prestonwood Mall in Addison.  Prestonwood Mall was unfortunately torn down in 2004 just after I moved to Dallas, but back then it was a great huge fun mall.  I remember random things like a guy on a motorcycle with a Santa hat pulling up beside us as we pulled into the mall, or the random "fur is murder" picketers outside one year.

Our agreement was that my dad and I would shop together and my mom would go shop on her own, then we would meet up later.  In this way, we could get my mom's gift, and she could get ours.  However, after we split up we would immediately run into each other again because we all had the same thing on our minds – Neiman Marcus's epicure shop!  Their epicure shop was full of free samples of candies, cakes, all the little things we desired after a long drive.  So we would laugh at seeing each other there, and then split off once again to do our shopping.  Prestonwood Mall had an amazing massive clock that was one of its defining features, essentially one of the pillars of the building inside was a huge grandfather clock.

After a full day of driving and shopping we would head over to the Doubletree Hotel to check in and relax a bit before dinner.  As soon as we checked in, we would get the famous Doubletree cookies free to every guest.  The Doubletree was located right in the middle of Dallas and always had lots going on inside.  I even recall one year being there for Halloween and there being a haunted house inside the lobby.  They always had a fantastic breakfast buffet.

Once we were freshened up and relaxed, we would head out to The Magic Time Machine for dinner.  The Magic Time Machine in Addison is a family restaurant that was originally a schoolhouse.  It looks perfectly normal on the outside, but on the inside you quickly realize this isn't like any other restaurant.  All the waiters and waitresses are dressed up as characters, from Superman to Waldo to Cinderella, and the tables are hidden inside things like giant pumpkins, crayons, and other unique items.  The salad bar is a salad car, which you are walked to in song by your waiter, as you are any time you wish to use the restroom.  If your party is large enough you can order a feast they call the Roman orgy, and a whole team of wait staff sing it to your table.  I remember one year when Superman served us, but I questioned his authenticity so he got up on a table and jumped off, cape flourishing.

The next day we had our breakfast buffet and went to the Galleria mall, a truly impressive four story mall with a massive four story Christmas tree in the middle surrounded by an ice skating rink.  We would go up to the third story coffee shop and sip on hot chocolate while watching the skaters skating around the Christmas tree.  Then we would walk around the mall, going into Macy's to shop, enjoying seeing the festive families getting all their presents and sharing their Christmas cheer.

Once we were done shopping we would pack all our gifts in the car and hit the road, listening to Christmas music all the way back home.  We still had Christmas itself to look forward to, family to visit, much to look forward to, but this yearly trip to Dallas was always a magical special family time for us.

That's why, after my parents passed away, I decided that being a health & fitness coach and helping people be fit and healthy would always be a part of my life.  I want everyone out there to have the great family experiences and create as many family memories with their parents that they can, since that part of my life is gone.  If I can be a small part of helping others create these special moments and memories, like the ones that mean so much to me, then that makes each Christmas, and every holiday, that much more special to me.

Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and may you and your family have many more magical family memories for years to come!

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Dependability – a value showing the reliability of a person to others because of his/her integrity, truthfulness, and trustfulness, traits that can encourage someone to depend on him/her.  So dependability is an aspect of integrity, a value that is So valuable, yet becoming SO rare these days.  Why is that?

Why can't we count on people anymore?  Why is it just so easy for people to say one thing, and then do another, with no remorse or afterthought?  Is dependability really simply a trait that is dying off?  Things people told us USED to be as dependable as Lucy moving the football just before Charlie Brown goes to kick it, but these days the actions of people are as if you never know WHAT Lucy is really going to do, regardless of what's come before.

Now I am far from perfect myself, growing up I was guilty of lacking this trait quite often, telling a football coach I was sick when I really was just sick of practice….but over the years I become a pretty dependable person, because it was a core value instilled in me by my parents – that is, if you don't have your integrity and people can't depend on you, you have nothing.

"Our integrity sells for so little, but it is all we really have. It is the very last inch of us. But within that inch we are free." – Valerie, V for Vendetta

These days, I will certainly suffer from the occasional memory lapse, but very rarely will I knowingly say one thing and then do another later.  If it does occur, I'd better have a damn good reason.

Decide. Commit. Succeed.  They're the core values of the Beachbody community, and until that middle part commitment is adhered to in this same sense…until you become dependable, not just in your health but with EVERYTHING you do and say to others, you're lost.  You haven't crossed the hurdle you need to cross to succeed in anything.

So just try this.  If you SAY you're going to plan something, MAKE IT HAPPEN.  If you SAY you're going to be somewhere, GO THERE.  If you SAY you're going to do something with someone, DO IT.  If you SAY you're going to make a long term commitment, whether to your health, business, anything…MAKE THE COMMITMENT, and then STICK TO IT THE WHOLE TIME.

I know, I know, it's a crazy concept, but here's the other side of the coin.  If you DON'T…then by definition you don't have integrity.  You become someone who is NOT dependable.  You CAN'T be counted upon, relied upon.  You may still be a great person, fun to be around…but you will STOP having people rely on you for important things.  Do you REALLY want to become "that" person?

Wouldn't you rather be the person that everyone around you can depend upon for anything?  The person that only has to be told something ONCE, and everyone simply KNOWS it will get done, without having to repeat over and over?  The person someone can expect to see somewhere because they KNOW you will be there?

Which are you?  Which would you like to be?

I know I'm always looking for more dependable people to add to my coaching team, and my inner circle of friends and loved ones.  If you truly believe it's you, definitely let me know ASAP, because it's a dying breed, and the world needs more!

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For the past few months I have been doing my own 5 Day Slimdown Challenges with people on Facebook, helping them get started with great Beachbody fitness programs and using Shakeology to get their nutrition in check.  These people have seen great results, but the question has been…what's next?

Here's the basic idea:

Tight, focused groups of 5 people all starting the same fitness program (P90X, Insanity, Hip Hop Abs, etc) and using Shakeology & custom meal plans

Daily support, accountability and nutrition support to ensure great results

Entry into the Official Beachbody Challenge contest with daily, monthly, quarterly and grand prizes up to $100,000

It's that easy.  The Challenge Packs are cheaper than any starter packs Beachbody has ever offered, and all come with Shakeology and 30 days in the Club, featuring customized meal plans and much more.

So get excited, go find 4 friends (or more, I'm happy to create multiple groups!) and contact me today to start YOUR challenge!  I can't wait to start helping people see real results with daily support and motivation!

TAKE THE CHALLENGE!

Please click "Like" and comment below!

- John Hays Beachbody Coach

About the author:  John Hays is a super friendly web developer, photographer, and health & fitness coach using products like P90X, Insanity, Hip Hop Abs, and Shakeology to help people get in the best shape of their lives.  His proven methods of personal accountability and constant support have helped people see major life changes, and John has lost 36lbs & 49% body fat with Hip Hop Abs.  John's photography has been seen in numerous publications, and he has worked with such web clients as Jack Daniel's, Mission Tortillas, Joe's Crab Shack, Conoco/Phillips and many more.

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Usually I like to focus on my journey and how it can relate in ways to inspire and perhaps educate.  However today some exciting pieces of news were unveiled regarding many of the fitness programs and nutrition items I am passionate about, so I simply had to share the great news!

The BEST WAY to stay on top of all these things is by
Making Me Your Coach for FREE Today!

Here are the various things coming:

P90X Certification! - This is BIG!  If you are a personal trainer, or simply wish to teach P90X in a class format, now you can! – COMING IN SPRING

Beachbody Tai Chi home fitness program - This will be perfect for rehab work, as well as older audiences!

Beachbody home fitness program version of Les Mills Body Pump – Les Mills Body Pump is a very popular gym based muscle building program to add muscle, very popular in both American gyms as well as around the world! – COMING IN DECEMBER

TROPICAL SHAKEOLOGY WILL BE VEGAN!!  – COMING IN JANUARY

Post Your thoughts in the comments section below!

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My Hip Hop Abs infomercial test group journey has ended.  Here are my results:

• 36lbs lost – from 235lbs down to 199lbs
• 49% body fat lost – from 23% body fat down to 12% body fat
• 27.5" off my body
• 5.5" off my waist
• 5" off my chest

The numbers are great, but more than what I lost is what I gained.  I gained new friends, many new experiences, a bucket list item marked off in living in New York, and perhaps most importantly, a newfound sense of self.  My cousin Jimmy coined the term years ago, but I have to agree…I'm a different animal.  It's said that it takes 25 days to form a habit.  I was on a strict nutrition plan and daily workouts for 3 months…my habits have officially changed.

Today is my birthday.  I'm 34, but I feel like I'm 26.  Most of my friends happily told me to indulge, have whatever I wanted to eat today, after all it's my birthday, right?  However, after having indulged in New York City during my last week there, I actually really want healthy food and my workouts back.  In fact I began today with a trip to my personal trainer and enjoyed a great upper body workout.  It's who I am now.  21 days…it doesn't take very long to become a new animal.  Do you have what it takes to try?  Let me know, I'd love to help you.  It's what I do, after all.

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